Typical Prototype
by Rainne
Summary: When the Serenity crew picks up an amnesia victim, how long will it take for her past to catch up with her & them? Reviews welcome, flames mild, K/S n M/I pairings (lets not complicate things).
1. Just a Girl

Disclaimer: I don't own these characters, except from the one that's obviously mine, they are the property of Joss Whedon and Fox.  
  
A/N: Hi! My name's Rainne and I'll be your Firefly-based fanfiction provider for the duration of this story. Is this anybody's first time reading a Rainne fanfic? Good, nice to see some new faces, and hopefully hear some new voices (hint, hint). Though I hope to hear from my regulars as well. Also, this is my first ever fanfic who's characters and setting and backstory (as far as I know) are completely the work of somebody else, so just bear with me, okay? If you feel I've done a horrible job interpreting these complex fictional beings, suggest a way to make them better, for both our sakes. I'll try to comply as best I can. Alrighty then, here we go.  
  
  
  
She wouldn't go back after this. They couldn't make her if they couldn't find her. She'd make her home her, among these people, whoever they were. She watched the red-brown, barren landscape of the Almian moon slip past her transport car's window. The surreal purple surfaces of the planet itself as it rose from the horizon made her shudder. She turned away from the window, suddenly uneasy. She hugged the gray pack's hefty weight closer to her chest and closed her eyes, taking a few deep breaths. "Approaching transport car station 112," said the feminine though electronic voice over the car's intercom, "Prepare for departure." She couldn't help the shaky nausea from grabbing hold of her stomach as she listened to the clanking sound the car made as it linked with the station's airlock. The primitive feel of her surroundings was weighing on her heavily.  
  
  
  
"Kaylee!" Wash cried out, stumbling over the large, metal container's many corners, "Watch out!" The petite, round-faced redhead winced and tried to get a better grip on her end of the container.  
  
"Sorry, Wash," she said, her voice betraying her frustration, "This thing's so darn heavy!"  
  
"C'mon, you two," said Mal, coolly marching down the loading deck's incline and out of Serenity, "We can't keep Mr. Sider waiting any longer on his shipment, can we?" The only response he got from his mechanic and pilot were flesh-searing glares as they attempted once more to load the container onto the waiting dolly. This time it worked, though not without a reverberating scrape of metal on metal as it slid into position. Both crewmates cringed as the sound greeted their ears, and stared at each other with simultaneous accusing looks.  
  
"Hey," Kaylee said, out of her usual warm and friendly character from the recent epic struggle, "Don't you look at me like that, mister! That scrape was YOUR fault!"  
  
Wash looked offended, "Me?! You're one to talk! You know, for a mechanic you're awful weak-"  
  
"Sweetie," came a commanding but soft voice from the dolly's driver's seat, "That's enough." Zoe'd had fun watching the two bicker, but she knew she had to stop her dear husband from saying something he'd regret. Besides, Mal was right, they'd wasted enough time dealing with this particularly unwieldy job, referring to both the package itself and their customer. Mr. Sider was not the most patient of men, it had taken some delicate diplomacy on Mal's part to keep the gentleman from sending his thugs out to get them. Their instructions were to simply leave the container in the station, then get the hell out of there, but it seemed apparently easier said then done.  
  
Kaylee and Wash, still glaring at each other, hopped onto the dolly after securing the container, and Zoe started the engine. Serenity was parked in a large, airtight building set up on the moon for deliveries. It was primarily what the moon itself was for, kind of like a planet-sized post office. They had stations all over its surface, and a lot of shady deals were done under the reflected purple glow of the planet Alma, which it orbited. Neither Zoe nor Mal liked that planet, it made them jittery, which made being courteous to the baboon who gave them the job all the more difficult. Zoe tried to concentrate on not hitting any of the other people unloading their respective spacecraft and not on the lavender tinge of the thin ceiling of the building.  
  
A tight smile appeared on Captain Reynolds's face as the dolly pulled up to the somewhat secluded checkpoint. No such thing made itself known on the butcher's block face of the thug who Mal had met upon arrival. The checkpoint was located near the transport car station, where human cargo would be unloaded, as well as locals and merchants trying to make a buck. You could always tell the planet's inhabitants; they were strangely pale, almost incandescent, from living in the lavender atmosphere. Strange, Mal thought, what living on a certain planet does to ya', after a while. He blinked away from his thoughts at the sound of Kaylee grunting. He looked down, seeing the young woman wrestle with a stubborn bolt.  
  
"C'mon," she grumbled, pushing with all her might on an impressively sized wrench, "Mah dai jong." (A/N: I don't know Chinese, and have never paid much attention to what they say when they use it, so I just sorta winged it there. Anybody can give me any helpful hints, I'd much appreciate it.)  
  
Wash approached her, "Here, I'll do it." Kaylee looked as if she might not let him, but took another glance at the bolt. Apparently deciding that he could knock himself out on that thing for a while, she stepped back from it with a falsely gracious air, "Thank you," he said with equal false graciousness, taking the heavy wrench from her limp hand. He took a new approach to the bolt, pulling up on the wrench, his face turning red with the effort. Kaylee watched, a satisfied smirk emerging on her usually cheerful face. Zoe cracked a smile in the driver's seat, watching her husband. "Transport car 13 arriving from station 111," announced the electronic voice over the intercom.  
  
"Not so easy, is it?" Kaylee grinned, her arms crossed over her chest and her hip jutting out in a triumphant pose. Mal couldn't help but chuckle slightly over the events, but not a sound was heard from the thug and it was making him even more nervous without the eerie glow from the planet. Wash only glared at her and continued pulling on the wrench, attempting to free the stubborn bolt. The doors on the airlock leading to the transport cars slide open with a hiss, briefly distracting Wash. He glanced up, and the wrench flew from his hands, into the air, soundly striking a young girl carrying a large, gray bag in the back of the head. Her thin frame crumpled to the floor as Wash fell back on his rear, a look of absolute horror washing, for lack of a better word, over his face. Even the thug's expression flashed to a barely perceptible shade of surprise as all four of Serenity's crew ran toward the lump on the station's floor.  
  
"Oh, man," Wash said, his voice shaky, "She's bleedin'." He stood over her as Kaylee and Mal crouched. He twined his fingers at the back of his head, and looked as if he was about to be sick. Zoe wrapped her arms around him and leaned his head on her shoulder for comfort. He let his stiff arms fall around her waist as well.  
  
"How bad is she, cap'n?" Kaylee asked anxiously as Mal glanced at the wound. He didn't dare move her, he knew head wounds were very dangerous and unpredictable. One minute the victim would be fine, the next an excruciating hemorrhage and they were dead. But he knew he had to stop the bleeding, the girl was turning paler and colder by the minute, so he swiftly scooped the girl into his arms.  
  
"All of you," he said, addressing his crew, "Into the dolly, we'll get back to Serenity and patch her up." He turned to the thug, "I'm sure you're fine takin' care uh' this." He didn't wait for an answer, just swung into the backseat of the dolly and pressed the emergency blanket to the back of the girl's head. He leaned his head down to hers, and relished a small bit of relief that came from the feeling of shallow breathing on his cheek. Maybe she would be alright, if they got her to the med lab in time, which didn't seem all that likely for all the deep red blood that stained the pale blue blanket.  
  
  
  
A/N: Okay, sorry so short, but this is just the beginning. I like it, I think, and I hope to get more out soon. I just know my Spell Check's gonna have a doozy of a time with all the names of planets, etc. I'm gonna have to make up. Review, please, I wanna know what you think! K, c ya' next chapter! 


	2. Exactly Where I Stand

A/N: Wow, thank you all so much for all the great feedback, Strife21 Phoenix Lioncourt, Nautica7mk, lanthene, and Nikki, it got me really inspired! It's so nice to have new friends. But doesn't it SUCK that Firefly is getting canceled!? I can't believe it! I'm just hoping and praying some other network sees it for the genius it is and picks it up. I hope all u r as well. This is probably exactly the way it was with Buffy, it took a while to find a good spot, then went major. At least, I hope so. Anyway, yeah, a mess o thanks for all the reviews, you guys are awesome. Here we go.  
  
  
  
"Simon!" shouted Mal as he strode up the ramp and into Serenity, the girl swinging limply in his arms. Kaylee, Zoe, and a very pale Wash followed at almost a run to keep up.  
  
The young doctor's head shot up at the tone of urgency in the captain's voice from the game he was playing on the floor of the med lab with River. She hadn't seemed to notice the dramatic entrance of their fellow crewmates. Her dark brown eyes stayed transfixed on the small game pieces scattered around. Simon stood up and went to the captain after giving River a reassuring touch on the shoulder, which she also ignored.  
  
"What's wrong, captain?" Simon asked. He could have guessed, but something made him not reluctant to look at the girl in Mal's arms' deathly pale face and motionless limbs.  
  
"Girl got smacked in the head with a wrench," Mal reported quickly, not bothering to give any more details out of the urgency of the situation, or just maybe to spare Wash any extra guilt from Simon's dissecting eyes.  
  
Simon became all business, the exact characteristic that made him such a brilliant doctor, "Get her in the lab, there's not a lot of time." He turned on his heel and walked into the med lab with Mal behind.  
  
The captain laid the girl out on the one cushioned examination table the med lab contained, but still held onto her shoulders so Simon could have a good view of the head wound. When the doctor did get a look at it he winced uncharacteristically.  
  
Kaylee, who had also followed the two men, caught the look, "That bad, huh, Simon?" Her voice was riddled with concern. Simon tried not to wonder at the young woman's compassion for someone she hadn't even met. Focus, Simon chided himself, or she'll only suffer more. He recalled his med school days, thinking, Head wounds, head wounds, when did I hear about head wounds? Thanks to Mal's quick work with the blanket the cut didn't need much cleaning, and the flow itself wasn't critical. The girl's a quick healer, Simon mused, examining the already clotted blood around the shallowest parts of the cut.  
  
He smoothed back the dark brown hair that fell to the girls chin and halfway down her neck in somewhat frizzy waves to get a better bead on wound's terrain.  
  
"Anytime you wanna get started, doc, would be just shiny," Mal said. He was getting nervous, which made him impatient, which made him snap at everything and anything, even if it didn't particularly bother him.  
  
"Just getting situated, captain," Simon said quietly, obviously in deep concentration, "Keep her chin lowered, please, I'm going to stitch the wound up and I need light." Kaylee, ever helpful, switched on an observation light and lowered it near Simon's head, which was hovering not a foot away from the girl's wound. Simon glanced up with an appreciative smile, which she returned, and he once again had to blink and shout at himself to focus, FOCUS!  
  
He threaded a needle and started his work in one fluid, practiced motion. A quick, restorative breath and he quickly went about stitching the wound. He held a bit of gauze to the worst areas of the cut where the bleeding hadn't yet trickled to a stop. In seconds the wound was nothing more than a jagged red line along the girl's scalp. Following a nod from Simon, Mal gently let go of the girl's shoulders and tilted her head sideways, so she wouldn't lie on the wound.  
  
"She's still not a hundred percent, though," Simon said as he wrapped a clean, white gauze bandage around the girl's head, "Head wounds are dangerous, she needs to be under twenty four hours of observation, at the least." Mal nodded, but didn't look at all happy about it. Kaylee's face showed neither the inclination nor disinclination to having a new guest, only that heart-warming compassion for the girl's welfare. The four people, including a still silent River, left the med lab, all, except River, with grim looks on their faces. Zoe and Wash stood just outside it.  
  
"She gonna be okay, doc?" Wash asked shakily.  
  
"I'm not sure yet, Wash," Simon replied, surprised to find even stronger emotion on the pilot's face than anyone else's, "But, I think she's a quick healer. Besides that, she's young, and appears to be healthy. Those are all good things. All we can do is wait and see." Wash's face looked like it was about to crumble, but was hidden from view as Zoe brought him into a hug in which he buried his face into her neck. Simon sent a questioning look in Mal's direction, but he was already headed up the metal stairs of Serenity.  
  
"Guilt is the fear of the unknown caused," said River quietly. She stood near the med lab door, gazing in at the unconscious girl inside. She looked slightly confused as she eyed the inert form, an emotion her brother was not used to seeing on his sister's usually enigmatic but intelligent face. Simon didn't even bother trying to figure out the meaning of River's words, just simply smiled and led her back to the game abandoned on the floor, where they continued to play without any more obscure statements from River.  
  
  
  
Her eyes felt like they'd been glued shut, or maybe made into a heavy, lead-like substance that weighed them down over her eyes. She felt the pressing urge to open them, and her breath quickened with the strain of the act. But eventually they did pull apart and she found she couldn't see at all. This did nothing to calm her breathing, and she felt she might hyperventilate soon if she didn't calm down and figure out what was going on. She closed her eyes again, forcing herself to take deep breaths. Opening her eyes wasn't nearly as difficult as they'd been the first time, and this time she could make out a few vague shapes in the darkness. She sat up from her horizontal position slowly, battling a wave of dizziness that attacked the moment she got upright. Her head felt like it had been filled with the same lead-like substance her eyelids had, and it drooped down as if her neck was made of jelly. As she forced her neck to solidify she finally registered a razor-sharp pain in the back of her head. It took all her will power not to yelp in pain.  
  
The lead-like substance drained from her upper torso and eventually from her whole body as she swung her legs over the side of whatever she was sitting on. The only light came from a row of them level with her head that made about one-third of a circle before disappearing. They were unnatural, too white electric lights, and they illuminated a white counter, upon which sat bottles and syringes and assortments of books and bags. She slowly lowered herself from the "bed", at least, what she assumed to be a bed. Her feet almost stung with the floor's cold as she walked toward the counter. She shuffled toward its white surface and picked up a small, blue, glass bottle of pills.  
  
"Deoxycotin," she read aloud. Her voice sounded alien to her, weak and soft. She couldn't have been more than sixteen. She blinked, wondering why she needed to hear her own voice to estimate her own age. Isn't that one of those things you're supposed to just- know? She wandered a few more feet down the counter, trailing her hand over its smooth white surface. Her ears rang at the sudden clatter of something falling roughly to the floor, her knees and feet suddenly stung.  
  
"Ti mao!" shouted a voice in the dark. The girl nearly jumped out of her skin.  
  
"Wh-who's there?" said both voices simultaneously. The counter's lights illuminated the shape of a young woman. Her eyes were wide and her hair framed her round face. They went wider at the sight of the girl trying to tidy up the mess she'd made while at the same time keeping a wary eye on her.  
  
"Hi," Kaylee said with a warm smile, "My name's Kaylee, who're you?" She talked the way one would talk to a frightened animal in need of care. She even held her hands up in front of her in a slightly defensive, hopefully not offensive, pose. The girl didn't answer, but she did straiten up, keeping her eyes trained on Kaylee.  
  
Kaylee tried again, speaking a little slower, "Who are you? What's your name?" Her eyes took on a pleading look, sincerely wanting an answer. Unfortunately, the girl had none to give her. All she could do was stare at this half-shadowed young woman and chew on her lower lip until it dulled the pain in the back of her head.  
  
Kaylee tried another approach, trying to imagine what a nurse in a hospital would say, since that was really what the girl needed, "You hit your head- well, your head got hit- um, well, you hurt your head. We, by we I mean me 'n Mal 'n Wash 'n Zoe. . ." She trailed off at the realization that, while these names meant so much to her, they meant nothing to this girl, "We took you on board our ship. You're on Serenity," she smiled. Kaylee truly believed Serenity was the best place in the 'verse, and anybody was lucky to have it as a home, "You should pro'bly sit back down, you got hurt pretty bad." She touched the a button that turned on the med lab's lights. The girl winced at the sudden brightness, and her head ached even more.  
  
Kaylee noticed her discomfort, "Oh, sorry 'bout that," she said earnestly. She helped the girl back onto the examination table, willing herself not to notice the unnatural clamminess of the girl's hand and the spot of red that showed on the bandage. She did the only thing she could think to do, she kept talking, "Sooo, I didn't catch yer name-?"  
  
The girl froze in her attempts to get back onto the table, and her eyes clouded over. That was precisely what was going on in the girl's head too. At every attempt to recall anything a thick fog descended, hiding everything from view. She suddenly felt very scared and very alone.  
  
"I- I," her voice trembled, and Kaylee kept a hand on her narrow shoulder, immediately sensing the need for comfort, "I don't know."  
  
Kaylee blinked a few times, "Whaddya' mean, you don't know?" She couldn't understand a person not even knowing her own name. She tried to imagine herself not knowing her own name. She could just barely, but she was fairly imaginative.  
  
"I just don't KNOW," cried the girl, her thin frame shaking and her breathing gone ragged. Fearful tears dripped down her face, and Kaylee instantly put aside her confusion in favor of wrapping an arm around the girl and giving her arm a warm rub. The girl's head dropped down and Kaylee watched the tears fall from her eyes and make damp circles on the sterile, hospital clothes covering her lap.  
  
"It'll be okay, um- girl," Kaylee cooed to the best of her ability. Calling her "girl" would simply not do, but it could wait, "Soon as th' cap'n 'n ever 'body wakes up, we'll see what we can do 'bout your lil' problem. We got a good doctor that'll figger out what's wrong with you 'n fix it, jus' like I do an engine." The girl raised a curious eyebrow, "Oh," Kaylee said with a laugh, realizing that the girl had no idea who she was beyond the girl that had been there when she'd woken up, "I'm Serenity's mechanic," she said proudly, "and you've picked the best gorram ship to be outta commission in, if I do say so myself." The girl smiled a little at Kaylee's obvious devotion to the ship, Serenity. Her smile widened at the name. She had no clue as to what she'd been through since meeting Kaylee, but she had a feeling she could use a little serenity.  
  
  
  
A/N: Okay, gotta go to bed, almost 10:30! Don't laugh, I don't like staying up late. Ah, glad to have another chapter out, I think this one turned out okay too. I'll try to work all the rest of Serenity's crew in next chapter, it's just that these first ones are kind of tight. Lotsa' movement, little introductions. Also, I'm completely b.s-ing my way through River's little sparks of genius, same as the Chinese, I unfortunately am not quite on her level w/ the random quotes from obscure tomes. Review if you get the urge, you know it's like gasoline to get me into my computer chair and writing. C ya next chapter! 


	3. I'm Exposed

A/N: Hey, I've got an hour to kill, so I thought I'd start construction on a new chapter. I don't have anything else to say, so here we go.  
  
  
  
Kaylee dashed up the stairs to meet a groggy Mal halfway.  
  
"She's awake, cap'n," the mechanic reported excitedly. She walked down the stairs backwards so she could keep facing Mal, "Well, she WAS awake, she went back ta' sleep before yall' woke up."  
  
Mal rubbed his eyes, "Only took three days," he grumbled, but Kaylee paid no attention. She jogged the rest of the way down the stairs and into the med lab. Simon was already there, and was taking the girl's pulse when Kaylee and Mal arrived.  
  
"How is she, doc?" Mal asked, curious despite his lethargy. Simon looked up from the chart he'd been taking notes on.  
  
"Not too worse for wear, sir," he replied, "Her vitals are stabilizing nicely, and the cut doesn't look infected." Kaylee was beaming like a newborn star; even Mal felt a load dissipate from over his shoulders. They decided the girl would be fine just sleeping and went into the galley for some breakfast.  
  
Book glanced up from his Bible and apple and immediately noticed a lighter air around the captain, doctor, and mechanic.  
  
"Good news?" he asked.  
  
"Yup, as a matter uh' fact," Mal replied, "Our lil' guest might just make it after all." Book smiled. Ever since he'd been notified of their new tenant he'd been concerned, but it seemed things would work out just fine. Kaylee brought out a pot of some tan, mushy substance and a few bowls. Due to the fact that she kept Serenity in such tip-top shape, she was the only one with enough interest and time to venture into the galley to make food. Too bad she wasn't as gifted in the kitchen as she was in the boiler room.  
  
Mal grimaced initially but took his bowl of tan mush with a forced smile. Simon did the same. Book quickly nodded that he was satisfied with his apple, and Kaylee took back her unappetizing offer, hiding her hurt. She knew she wasn't much of a cook, but she was the only one they had. She tried not to be mad at the shepherd.  
  
  
  
The girl wandered out of the med lab with hunger gnawing at her stomach. She hadn't seen anyone when she'd woken up, but the need for food was very persuasive. She glanced at her surroundings, a large open area with a flat rust-colored floor that had patches of solid sheets of metal as well as ones riddled with symmetrical holes. The cold of the floor lessened some; she assumed the engine of the ship was underneath her feet. Another clue to that conjecture was the vibrations that sent shivers down her spine. She wished she had some shoes. The open area contrasted greatly with the clean whiteness of the med lab. She drew a deep breath of air through her nose and detected the scent of food, coming from the left. She turned, and stopped short at the sight of another girl standing silently at the end of the walkway.  
  
"Hello," the girl said nervously. The other girl stayed silent. She watched her with almost vacant brown eyes. Her chocolate-colored hair fell in wisps along her face and down her shoulders. The other girl's brow suddenly furrowed and her face took on a confused expression.  
  
"I am River," she said guardedly, as if unsure whether she should say anything.  
  
"I am-" the girl started, but faltered. She still had no answer, no way to connect with this strange girl, "I don't know who I am," she finished desolately. The other girl, River, seemed to pick up on her sadness, her face softened and she walked toward her. The girl could now see that River's eyes weren't vacant at all, but electrified to the point of distraction. It was as if the girl had a million thoughts flashing all over her mind at once, and she couldn't focus.  
  
"Are you hungry?" she said in close to the same voice Kaylee had used the night before, as if the girl was a skittish animal. The girl nodded, "Come with me." River turned and started walking in the direction the girl had been about to go.  
  
River walked slowly, not sure how fast the girl could walk in her injured condition. She was confused by the whole situation, this girl of nowhere and nothing. No past, nothing but the present, the here and now. River wondered at the simplicity of it, but was still confused. Why was the girl so sad she had no past? River would have loved to get rid of her past with a simple knock on the head. A knock on the head, and everything would be gone in a snap. It seemed an impossible dream.  
  
The crew, now all assembled at the table, looked up at the sound of River's entrance. River could see the apprehension in their eyes, would she lose control today? What about tomorrow? She could feel their distrust, had felt it since she first came onboard, like a cloud behind their eyes. She knew they, well maybe except for one, but he could be dealt with, wanted to be helpful to her and she was grateful for it, even if they didn't know that. Kaylee wanted to be her friend, but, then again, she wanted to be everyone's friend. The crew's eyes opened even wider, why were they doing that? Oh yeah- River turned to the girl, who stood near the door stiffly. Her black-brown eyes scanned the room and she said nothing. The crew said nothing. Feeling vaguely exasperated, River took the girl's weak hand and led her to the table. Zoe and Inara slid over to make a space at the end of the bench, upon which River and the girl sat down. Wash averted his eyes to study the stove in the galley's kitchen, as if the girl would know her assailant the moment his eyes met hers.  
  
Mal cleared his throat slightly, trying to put on his captain airs and break the tension, "Hello, er- girl," he said, "My name's Captain Malcolm Reynolds. You're on my ship, Serenity, 'til you get back on yer feet." She didn't say anything. Kaylee placed a bowl of food in front of the girl then stepped back, staying near her while she ate, "But this ain't no orphanage or hospital, a 'right? You're gonna pull yer' own weight around here. I'm not sure how yet, but we'll find somethin' fer' you to do. What's your name?" The girl froze, once again feeling the pressure of the question. She'd thought Kaylee might have told him, she'd guessed wrong. She cast her eyes down to her lap.  
  
Thankfully, Kaylee spoke up, "Yeah, 'bout that, cap'n. She- um, she kinda 's lost her mem'ry."  
  
Mal's eyebrows perked up, and were quickly joined by the rest of the crew's, "Really?" Kaylee nodded, "That's a problem." She nodded some more and the girl turned fearful eyes back on the captain, "Simon," he said. The doctor's head whipped away his intent stare from the girl to Mal, "What exactly do ya' make uh' all this?"  
  
"Ah, well, I hate to say it, but amnesia isn't all that common nowadays, really kind of incredibly lucky to have one onboard. . ." He turned his eyes back on the girl.  
  
"Simon!" Mal shouted, the doctor's snapped back.  
  
"As I said amnesia's very rare. It could take days or months for her memory to come back completely, well, completely enough for her to function normally. I'll have to run some tests to tell the extent of the damage."  
  
Mal wanted to groan, or smack his hands down on the table, or do something to relieve the frustration at seeming to attract the strays of this 'verse from the four corners and onto his ship. But he did none of that, he swallowed it all for a later time and said very slowly and calmly, "A 'right then, she stays. She can quarter in Kaylee's room, there's enough space. I'll think uh' somethin' for her to earn her keep with 'n tell ya' tomorrow."  
  
The girl could immediately sense the captain's true emotions, from the way he finished his decree to how he sat hunched over his bowl of mush like a convict. She said nothing the rest of breakfast, just endured the stares from most of this tight-as-a-drum family group she'd crashed into. Once finished, Kaylee led her out of the galley and to her new bunk.  
  
  
  
"Gorram' it, Mal," Jayne grumbled atop one of the new shipments yet to be delivered. He didn't look up from the gun in pieces on his lap at the captain, who was busying himself with checking the locks on Serenity's doors through the consol near the med lab.  
  
"Yes, Jayne?" he answered evenly.  
  
"Why, in the name uh' the 'verse, do ya' havta' bring in ever' gorram' stray dun' shows up on yer' doorstep? You jis' invitin' trouble, ya' know that? Did it ever cross yer' mind she's lyin' 'bout that whole 'I've lost my mem'ry' bit?"  
  
"It most certainly has, Jayne. But that's not the point here," he turned from the consol to face Jayne, "If we didn't take care uh' the girl, we could get in trouble fer' it since it was onnuh' our own that injured 'er." Jayne growled slightly, knowing and not liking exactly why the crew did NOT want any trouble whatsoever, "Besides, she's jis' a lil' girl. Barely River's age. 'N if she's NOT fakin' it, what would happen to 'er if we dumped her behind on the dirt in a strange place she don't know a gorram' thing about?"  
  
"Why do you CARE, Mal?" Jayne interrupted. He was tired of the captain's bleeding heart, every ruttin' place they went and every job they pulled seemed to fly off course because he got it in his mind he could fix everybody's lives wherever they were.  
  
"I don't rightly know, Jayne. I just do, 'n that's all there is to it." He walked away, his footsteps clanging loudly on the metal floor. Sometimes he hated himself for feeling the way he did about everything. He just couldn't let suffering go, couldn't leave without knowing he did his job as best he could. Maybe- hell, probably had something to do with the war. Everything he did reflected on something that had happened in the war that he was trying to make up for, some mistake that he could see happening in other places that he couldn't let happen again. And he wasn't going to let some young girl get scattered to the winds in this cruel 'verse because of one of HIS runaway wrenches.  
  
  
  
"'S not much," Kaylee was saying, "But it's home." She gestured around at the cluttered cabin she and the girl were now sharing. The girl sat quietly on the tiny mattress that sat along the wall opposing the one Kaylee's mattress lay against. She gazed around at all the trinkets and lights Kaylee had strung up over her tenure on Serenity. They made the cabin warm and cozy, and the girl could see Kaylee was right, it wasn't much, but one felt instantly at home.  
  
"I gotta go take care uh' some things," Kaylee said, heading toward the ladder that led to the cabin's hatch, "You might wanna get a nap in before Mal thinks of uh' job fer ya' to do, you might need yer energy." The girl smiled and nodded, "'Kay, I'll see ya' later." She climbed out of the hatch and left the girl in the red-orange quiet of the cabin.  
  
The girl stood up from the mattress, a flash catching her eye. She picked up a glass bottle that had caught the light from one of the tiny bulbs strung up around the cabin. It was heavy, and green swirls of color swam through the glass. She set it down and turned her gaze to the other full shelves, suddenly curious about their contents. She examined a few stuffed animals and other small stones and even a few drawings on torn bits of paper. She froze at the sight of someone else in the room. A brown face with large black-brown eyes stared back at her from a small mirror leaned up against the back of one of the shelves. She took the mirror with shaky hands and sat heavily on Kaylee's mattress, never taking her eyes off the image in it. Thick, jet-black dark hair fell halfway down her neck and curled softly around her chin. Her nose was hooked and ended sharply, almost making a visible dot in the exact center of her face. Her mouth was small, and when she opened it she could see her teeth were white and a little crooked. Tucking her hair behind her ears, she noticed that they were small and round.  
  
She put the mirror down and looked at her hands. She hadn't noticed them before really, but the fingers were long, almost too long, and narrow, all the same rich brown color. There were scars on her hands, not really bad ones, but like she may not have been very careful with something sharp not too long ago. Kaylee had given her some of her clothes, the ones she'd been wearing were too bloody for any decent person to wear, but they were too big for her. She pulled up the baggy pant leg and examined her own, finding a few more scars, ones a little worse than those on her hands. They all ran horizontal or close to it and were on the sides of her legs, like she'd been running threw a patch of thorns. Why wouldn't she have noticed she was slicing up her legs? She must have been in some hurry. She pulled up the short sleeves of the T-shirt she was wearing and found a few more horizontal scars. A big thorn patch, she wagered. Letting all her new garments go the girl leaned against the wall of the cabin, now quite tired. It wasn't long before she drifted to sleep.  
  
  
  
A/N: Here's a good place to give it a rest, besides, I've gotta do dishes. There, THAT'S what she looks like, and if your confused, she's of Indian (as in NOT from America) descent. Don't ask why I chose Indian, I don't know. I guess because you hardly ever saw Indian people on the show, and that does not mean I'm Indian, it's just a fact. I notice stuff like that. Good, I got a few more characters introduced, and I hope to get the rest of them in there soon. I'd love to get a few more reviews; I noticed that second chapter there went widely ignored. Hope you all liked it, because I have no way of knowing if you did or didn't. 


	4. Living in Captivity

A/N: I was just sitting on my computer, re-reading my new chapter, wondering how in the world I could squeeze some M/I in here like RitzBitz suggested, and I got it! Sorry bout the delay, forbidden love fan, their particular dynamic I just couldn't seem to get a hold of. But I got it now; I just hope it comes off well. Geez, I've just been a writing machine over the last few days, four chapters in, what, maybe a week? I'm awesome and you guys should be so grateful. Leave reviews please, especially ones like those of RitzBitz that practically GIVES me the focus of the next chapter! I think I'm gonna start things off a little bit different with Wash, you don't hardly ever hear much from him.  
  
  
  
Wash stared at the large wrench sitting in front of him on top of the nav. board. He shouldn't have been dwelling on it, but he couldn't help it. He'd barely fired a GUN at anyone, let alone made somebody lose their entire MEMORY. He felt awful about it, he really did. The fear in that little girl's face while Mal decided her fate, that was the worst. Now she was nothing but a little piffle of dust, not even a dot on the radar. Wash had had little doubt Mal would take her in; he always took them in, but still his mind reeled at the horrible images of what his carelessness could have led her to. He looked out through the large windows of the cockpit. Usually the sight of all that emptiness with only tiny specks of light scattered around calmed him. For some reason, knowing that his trials were worth next to nothing on the cosmic scale made them easier to take. It was the same way when he looked into his wife's eyes; everything was easier to take then. He didn't know what he'd have done if she hadn't been there to hug him and tell him the little girl would be okay. That poor girl-  
  
"Hello?" came a half-whisper from outside the cockpit's hatch. Wash jerked out of his reclined position; his feet propped up on the consol, and whipped around to see the very object of his turmoil standing meekly outside the cockpit.  
  
"Hi," he said shakily. He was trying desperately to hide his pain at seeing her, "Kaylee said you were takin' a nap."  
  
She smiled sheepishly, "Woke up."  
  
"Oh," he had no idea what to say to her, his personal guilt trip personified. But she wasn't looking at him now; she was staring out of the windows as he had been, "'mazin', huh?" He nodded toward the stars.  
  
"Yeah," she said in a hushed voice, as if they were in a cathedral and she dared not speak any louder, "There's so many of 'em." She silently lowered herself into the copilot's seat next to him, and they were both silent as the stars slipped past the window. The only noise was the regular beep of the autopilot, "Where we headed?"  
  
"Boros," Wash said just as quietly, "It'll only be another few hours before we're there, see?" He pointed to a hazy nebula in the distance, "That's the Charmed Nebula. It's kinda a checkpoint for ships comin' from this direction. Shows we got about two to four more hours 'til we arrive."  
  
"No kidding," she replied with curiosity, watching the nebula slip past the window.  
  
"Nope," he said with a little pride. He never quite forgot that he WAS the best in the business, "There's all kinds of checkpoints around a moon, or planet, or even a big space rock people've colonized, ta' help pilots find their way around places. 'S helpful, 'specially if you own a ship without autopilot."  
  
"Hey," came another voice from beyond the cockpit. The volume of it startled Wash and the girl; they'd been nearly whispering the entire time. The voice belonged to Kaylee, who stepped inside the dark space and looked out the windows with the other two, "C'mon," she said to the girl, "This stuff's boring, I'll show ya' something real shiny." The girl let Kaylee lead her out of the cool dark of the cockpit to the warmth of the ship's interior. Kaylee walked them along the catwalks to Inara's shuttle.  
  
"Hey, 'Nara," Kaylee said with a few polite taps on the hatch, "Busy?"  
  
The companion opened the hatch with a smile, "Not too busy," she replied in her perpetually cultured voice. Kaylee harbored a secret desire to hear Inara talk like she did, as well as she to talk like Inara.  
  
Kaylee felt her smile widen as she stepped into the rich elegance of Inara's shuttle. Walking into the carpeted, sweet-smelling place was always an escape for her from the dirty, dangerous engine room. She curled herself up in one of the velvet seats with a sigh of almost relief, while the girl stayed standing. Inara poured some tea from her porcelain set she kept against a wall.  
  
"Sit with us, um- girl," Kaylee urged, but the request ended with a grimace, "This won't work, callin' you girl all the time. It ain't right!" The girl watched her with wide eyes. She'd never seen Kaylee upset before. Inara nodded her concurrence from behind her teacup.  
  
"What're you gonna do?" the girl asked, "Name me?"  
  
"That's precisely what we're going to do," Inara responded.  
  
Kaylee smiled excitedly and sat up straighter, nearly spilling hot tea in her lap, "Don't look so scared," she consoled the girl, "Wouldja' rather be called girl the whole time yer here?" She shook her head emphatically.  
  
"Well," Inara said, "All right then." She thought for a moment, "How about Kessia?"  
  
Kaylee frowned and shook her head, "Should be simple, like, Kate."  
  
"Why not Solana?" Inara suggested, although it seemed to be aimed at Kaylee.  
  
"Or Ann?" Kaylee said, determined not to be outdone.  
  
"Or Hoshi?"  
  
"Or Lisa?"  
  
"Or Titania?"  
  
"Or Meg?"  
  
"Hold on!" cried the girl, "Isn't there an easier way to do this than you all shoutin' names at me?"  
  
Both women studied their laps red-faced. Inara, always the picture of courtesy in any situation, no matter how strange, replied first, "You're absolutely right, there has to be and easier way."  
  
Kaylee glanced up then, "Yeah, but how?"  
  
They sat silent, wrapped in their own thoughts. Inara's mind wandered as she looked at the girl. She reminded the companion of someone she'd met while being trained. They'd been good friends throughout their education, but had drifted apart and gone their separate ways, as was the case for most of any companion's friendships. She only saw her at the odd ball in which she'd decorate a client's arm and hardly ever speak. That was her job. They would perform the small smile of recognition, but very little beyond that. She had a beautiful name though; it made Inara smile just thinking about it-  
  
"Alethea," she whispered quietly.  
  
"Huh?" Kaylee said.  
  
"An old friend of mine," Inara quickly clarified, "Her name was Alethea. We called her Ali."  
  
"Ali . . ." the girl said, testing out the name. Kaylee did the same.  
  
"Well," the redhead decided, "That sounds good ta' me, simple, but pretty. Ali."  
  
"What?" Ali said with a smile. All three women laughed, feeling lighter now that the decision was made.  
  
They chatted for a while until Mal suddenly materialized inside the hatch. Inara scowled at him; once again he had flouted her knocking rule. Why? Why did he always DO that? It drove Inara absolutely crazy, which was such a hard thing to do to begin with it never ceased to amaze her.  
  
"Yes, captain," she said in a clipped tone.  
  
He looked amused, "Thought I heard a gabfest in progress in here. Any good gossip?" He walked into the center of their little circle. Inara felt herself blush, Wow, he's tall, and he's got a great- she stopped herself right there. She forced the blush into submission, He's your ride, not your client, he's your ride, not your client. Was Kaylee saying something?  
  
"-So we decided on Alethea, but Ali for short," the mechanic finished with a smile that Mal returned.  
  
"Well," he said, turning to Ali, "Welcome aboard Serenity, Ali. I still havta' find a use fer ya', but I'm gettin close." He turned back to Kaylee, "You still have uh' job to finish, lil' lady. I believe down in the engine area."  
  
"Yeah, cap'n," Kaylee replied sullenly, "I'll get on that." She marched off to her duties with the captain on her heels. Ali couldn't help but smile at Inara's cat-like eyes watching Mal's exit.  
  
"You like him, don't you," she said slyly. Inara didn't say anything, but nodded slightly. Then she blinked rapidly and her eyes were on Ali.  
  
"What? What did you say?"  
  
Ali giggled, "Wow, a lady like you 'n a cowboy like him-"  
  
"What are you talking about?" The companion's voice was dead steel, but she couldn't stamp out the sparks in her eyes.  
  
"You like him," her light voice went into a drunk, sing-songy tone, "You wanna kiss him, you wanna be his forever-" She was stopped by the direct hit of a silken pillow to her face, which only made her dissolve into giggles as Inara pouted.  
  
"Absolutely not!" she cried, "Even the idea is just- no. He's my ride. I do NOT need the complications. It would be far too difficult, for both of us. Not that it- anything would EVER happen! No, absolutely not." Her eyes stayed glued to the hatch where Mal had so recently stood, completely unbidden, just there. Ugh, the pig, how dare he! She felt the fiery anger boil up again, soundly burning to a cinder any other less durable thoughts of the captain. Good, she felt better. That always worked, anything other than thick, lasting and bitter dislike for the captain could be seared away, never to be felt again.  
  
Ali could see it happen, see the companion stomp all over the defenseless emotions brought on by the captain's presence as if they were unwanted insects in need of extermination. It made her very sad to watch Inara turn herself off and become a stone flower for her next client. While taking Ali to her new quarters Kaylee had given her a rundown of the other crewmembers, so she knew that Inara was not much better than an expensive prostitute. The ONLY real difference was her first-class education as far as Ali could see. But she knew in her heart that the results of this life would be the same as any other common whore. Inara would die already dead on the inside and completely alone. Ali desperately didn't want to see that happen, but there seemed nothing she could do.  
  
"I'm gonna go, Inara," she said quietly. The companion jerked out of her trance with a polite smile.  
  
"Alright," she replied, "I'll see you later then, Ali." Ali smiled back, and left.  
  
  
  
Ali wandered around Serenity slowly. She had nothing to do until Mal revealed her new orders. Somehow she ended up in the galley of the ship. The girl poked around at the pots and pans hanging up, the pantry full of preserved foods. Nothing looked particularly appetizing, especially the large container of tan mush that had been their breakfast, but her stomach was growling again, so she continued her browsing until she came across some basics. Flour, a little baking powder, some milk and salt from the table. She set those items on the counter and continued her search. She wasn't sure the goal of her hunt, but she kept scanning the shelves of the meat locker that served as an all-around refrigerator for the less long lasting food.  
  
"Ah-ha!" she cried, "Spoils!" She wrapped her fingers delicately around the smooth white surface of the egg, gently ferrying it out of the cold and placing it on the counter. Ali got out of the refrigerator; she had been nearly on her hands and knees searching for the egg. She stood back from her lineup of ingredients in confusion. What in the world was she gonna do with those things? Well, so far she'd mostly left her body to do the work of grabbing the necessary items. Why not? her mind asked, as she took a deep breath and started working with her eyes closed. Immediately her hands threw the flour, baking powder, and salt into one bowl and the milk and egg in another. She used a spoon to mix up the milk and egg until pale yellow foam rose. Then she added the contents of the other bowl and mixed that in.  
  
She stood back and stared at the bowl of beige batter that sat on the counter. A bubble popped on the surface, leaving a circular impression that faded quickly. Her groaning stomach urged her to keep going, so she closed her eyes and reached out her hands once more. They went for a pan she'd passed earlier, taking it off the nail that kept it hanging from the wall and slamming it down onto the primitive stove that served as Serenity's only cooking surface, flicking it to HIGH. Holding the pan's handle in her left hand, she used her right to pour a circle of batter onto the pan's sizzling surface. Her left hand let go of the pan handle long enough to reach for a dusty spatula next to the stove and flip the circle of batter over with an expert flick of the wrist. The side that had previously been against the pan was a golden brown. Her right hand yanked open a cabinet and reached for a plate among the preferred bowls just in time for her left to flick its wrist again and land a fluffy pancake dead center on it.  
  
Ali repeated this process, getting more fluid every time, until she had three golden-brown pancakes sitting on the plate. She smiled, and took a long whiff of their delicious aroma as she sat down at the galley's table with the necessary utensils. Ali didn't know how she'd done it, but she had made some tasty pancakes without even thinking about it. She smiled even wider as she enjoyed her meal.  
  
  
  
Mal shifted in his reclined position against the engine. The vibration was great on his back, but for some reason he couldn't get comfortable. He knew the reason, or reasons. One, he couldn't think of a gorram' thing for Ali to do to earn her keep. Two, River, but she was always classified as a "worry", never anything else. Three, he HAD to stop thinking about Inara, just had to find a way to get rid of it all. Too bad he didn't want it to go away. He took a deep breath and sank against the engine, worn out. Wait a minute. He took another breath through his nose. What was that? Another breath- smells delicious. He stood up and started walking, following his nose. Ah, he hadn't smelled that for years. The smell pulled him by the nostrils into the galley.  
  
"Ali?" he said in wonder, watching the girl cutting the fluffy pancakes into neat squares. She looked up with a smile. Her eyes seemed to glitter.  
  
"Yeah, cap'n?" She took a bite of the pancakes.  
  
Maybe he was wrong, "Where'd ya' get the pancakes?"  
  
"Made 'em." She concentrated on her meal.  
  
Mal didn't remember having any cookbooks on board, "How?"  
  
She looked back at him with an undecipherable look on her face, "Ya' know, I'm not sure."  
  
Mal sat at the head of the table closest to her so he could see her face, "What does that mean?"  
  
"I just sorta closed my eyes 'n I made 'em."  
  
"I don't think you understand how similar that lil story is to a bald- faced lie, Ali. Usually takes a lil' bit uh' mem'ry to recall the exact recipe uh' fluffy golden pancakes." His face looked stonily into hers.  
  
"I was worried 'bout that," she said quietly, "I guess all you can do is chose to believe me, or chose not to." She dropped her eyes to the pancakes cooling on the plate.  
  
"Come with me," Mal said, getting up from the table. His voice held a frightening tone as he called Simon's name. Ali quickly followed him down Serenity's halls to Simon and River's cabin. Simon glanced up from the book in his lap as Mal entered with Ali in tow, "Simon, she can make pancakes."  
  
"What?"  
  
"Pancakes, Simon, listen. How can she make pancakes if she hasn't got a mem'ry fer her ta' remember a recipe with?"  
  
The young doctor scratched his head, thinking. During the days Ali was unconscious he had pored over the few medical texts he had been able to bring with him, searching for anything pertaining to amnesia. Inara had even been kind enough to let him use her computer system to search for information, "Could be muscle memory," he suggested.  
  
Mal stared at him blankly, "'N that is?"  
  
Simon hid his exasperation, "You know how you, say, have a routine for what you do in the morning. Like, you get up, you get dressed, you brush your teeth, and you comb your hair. The body gets used to it, so used to it you don't even have to think about it, you just do it. Muscle memory usually lasts twelve to eight months- how exactly did you make the pancakes, um-" Simon's good manners wouldn't allow him to call the girl "girl."  
  
"Ali," she piped up and unexpectedly smiled, "Kaylee and Inara came up with it." The doctor and the captain both felt similar pangs of something they couldn't quite describe, but somehow it lightened their moods.  
  
"So, Ali, what did you do when you made the pancakes?"  
  
His eyes were kind and curious, but she felt uncomfortable. She had no idea how to describe what had happened in the galley, "Uh, I kinda just- it wasn't like- I," Mal's skeptical look deepened, "I didn't use a recipe, I just kinda knew what to do," she spat it out in seconds, "What I did," she slowed down slightly, "I closed my eyes, and my hands did the whole thing. I didn't even do it really."  
  
"You're innocent?" Mal said sarcastically.  
  
Simon gave the captain a withering look, "Mal, this sounds like muscle memory to me."  
  
"Fine, I'll give ya' benefit uh' the doubt fer this one, Ali." The girl smiled slightly, "Simon, run a coupla' yer tests, figger out exactly what's goin' on in her head, aright?" The young doctor nodded, "Good. Ali? From now on yer Serenity's cook."  
  
  
  
A/N: Sorry bout that last part, my brother turned on TV and it's distracting me. There, a nice little bit of M/I for you to chew on. Enjoy! O, n happy holidays! 


	5. Guess I'm Some Kinda Freak

A/N: Sorry for the delay in updates, I've been over my dad's house more or less all week. That reminds me, I've got some news. I started another story. I know it's bending my principle about one story at a time, but this is officially an amendment to the principle. My other news is that I've added a couple(dozen) quotes to my bio. Mostly funny stuff, read 'em if you feel like laughing. And read the first chapter of my new story if you dig fantasy kind of fics.  
  
  
  
"Soooo," Ali said slowly, shifting against her seat against a beam in Serenity's belly, "That's all we do? Sit and wait in the ship?"  
  
Kaylee decided not to take offense at the comment, "Yup, that's 'bout it. Cap'n don't need us for the jobs. Well, not most 'uh the time." Ali didn't need to know just yet how dangerous certain jobs had gotten over the course of her residence on Serenity. She still had nightmares about Mal and Wash's brush with torture, and her own role in their rescue. She shifted on her side of the beam.  
  
"Ali? Kaylee?" came a voice from the med lab. Kaylee glanced up from her musings to see Simon walking toward them. Her foul mood evaporated as she scrambled to her feet. Simon stopped in front of Kaylee, and said nothing. Ali stood up but stayed leaning against the beam, watching the doctor and the mechanic gaze at each other silently.  
  
Eventually it stopped being cute, "Yeah, Simon?" Ali inquired a little loudly to break through the doctor's and Kaylee's hormone-induced stupor.  
  
It worked, and both Simon and Kaylee blinked rapidly. Ali guessed to clear the stars from their eyes, "Yes. I, uh, I was wondering whether Kaylee and yourself would care to join River and me on a trip to the town near here." Kaylee's eyes lit up and she nodded enthusiastically.  
  
"I'm not sure-" Ali started, her own head slowly shaking in the negative.  
  
"Oh, yeah!" Kaylee said over her, "Def'nitely! Where's River? Let's go." She eagerly linked her arm in Simon's and walked back into the ship to search for River, Ali at their heels.  
  
They found the dark-haired girl crouched in a corner of the catwalk, meticulously arranging bits of metal as if they were precious jewels or chess pieces. Simon moved behind River and gently lifted her to her feet, but her eyes stayed glued to her shiny collection. He turned her face to his and spoke in tender tones, "Mei-mei, do you want to go to town with Kaylee and Ali and I?" River smiled slightly and nodded, "Good. We're planning to leave now. Are you ready?" She didn't answer, only took her brother's hand and walked toward the stairs leading down from the catwalk.  
  
"Guess that's a yes," Ali said and she and Kaylee followed the siblings out of Serenity.  
  
  
  
Simon had an ulterior motive on this trip. Under Mal's command to "do a coupla' yer tests", Simon decided he had too little understanding of Ali's condition to even start. His goal on the planet Boros was to ferret out as many books he could find on brain injuries. If Inara'd be kind enough, he hoped to pull up even more information from her computer on her shuttle.  
  
For all River's mind's complex mysteries, Ali's unique affliction fascinated the curious doctor to no end. Amnesia, the word even SOUNDED rare to Simon. Ever since he'd learned of her injury's complications he'd been constructing various experiments in his head, just itching for the chance to study her. And now he was under orders to do just that! Even River couldn't help but notice the bounce in his step as he walked beside and chatted with Kaylee. The two younger girls followed silently behind, River's eyes boring into her brother's back while Ali's scanned the wilderness around her.  
  
"You're not like us," said River quietly.  
  
"What?" Ali responded, her head turning away from an interestingly shaped tree to study her peer.  
  
River wished she hadn't said anything. Why didn't she just keep her mouth shut?! She knew whenever she did try to communicate a thought to somebody it came out wrong. It got mixed with other thoughts on its journey out her mouth until it was completely unintelligible. Too late now, she thought, "You're not like us," she repeated, no louder than before.  
  
"You mean not a part of the crew?" Ali asked. She didn't wait for River's response, "Well, yeah, that's true. But I'm just stickin' around 'til I get better," she paused, "Well, that and find a place ta' go-"  
  
"You're different," River continued a little louder. Then she looked Ali in the face, revealing a beaming smile, "Like me." She giggled slightly then turned away and jogged ahead to walk with her brother.  
  
Ali wasn't sure whether to be insulted that she'd just been called crazy, or glad to be on River's good side. Kaylee'd told her that River had bad days, and a few of the consequences of being on her bad side on a bad day. Ali decided she'd rather be glad than insulted, and smiled herself as they entered the dusty, but more or less bustling town of Lineman.  
  
  
  
Ali let her hands drift over the books' spines lazily, she scanned the titles as she walked. Suddenly her hand stopped and so did she. She pulled out the book that had somehow grabbed her attention and turned to a random page. The book was a chronicle of earth-that-was history. For some reason Ali's breath quickened as she turned the yellowed pages and she pressed the book to her chest. She glanced around the small bookstore as if she had something to hide in reading it. When she saw none of her friends she moved to a deserted corner and continued flipping.  
  
Images flipped past her wandering eyes of ancient transport vehicles, grand sports arenas where thousands gathered to cheer their favorite teams, holiday celebrations of color and light, movie and music stars basking in unreal worship, until she reached the end. She closed the book slowly and wiped the tears she hadn't felt fall away from her cheeks and hugged the book tightly.  
  
"Ali!" called a voice from the store's entrance, "We're headed out," it was Kaylee. Her voice sounded alarmed, "Now!"  
  
Ali deliberated on whether to put the book back or not. She started to replace it, but took it back just as quickly.  
  
"Ali!!" She didn't have much more time. Ali ran to the bookstore's counter, slammed down the book's worth, and dashed out of the store, where her friends and a blood-spattered Jayne met her.  
  
"What the hell took you, girl?!" shouted Jayne angrily, he whipped around and strode away from them. Ali didn't answer, she was a little afraid of Jayne. Kaylee took her by the arm and followed the man, River and a multi-volume toting Simon right behind them.  
  
"What's wrong, Kaylee?" Ali asked, trying to keep up with the mechanic.  
  
Kaylee's worried face showed some consideration as she chose her words, "Er, cap'n's run into a lil trouble, we gotta leave."  
  
"What kinda trouble, though?" She didn't answer, just gave Ali's arm another tug as she picked up the pace even more.  
  
Mal and Zoe were just arriving on the three-person bike as Jayne, Kaylee, Ali, Simon, and River were walking into Serenity. Zoe held her gun at his side, as did Mal, and they both wore Kaylee's anxious expression.  
  
"Nuthin' too bad, right, cap'n?" the mechanic said with a quivering voice.  
  
"Bad enough," Mal answered, "'S time ta' leave, boys 'n girls. Gather up yer belongings and get in the gorram ship."  
  
Just as the last of Serenity's crew were safely inside the common area, a group of a dozen or so men burst from the cover of the planet's few groves of trees and ran into the ship, guns blazing.  
  
"Ta ma de," was all Ali caught from the captain before gunfire made hearing an impossibility. She was crouched with Kaylee and River behind a container in the common area, just passed the worst of the confrontation. Cries of pain could just barely be made out over the cacophony of the guns, thankfully none from the side of Serenity's crew. Kaylee made a motion to go for the entrance to the galley on the count of three. Ali felt the nausea rise in her stomach as Kaylee's fingers rhythmically dropped- one, two, three! She burst from her hiding place and towards the door, only to be snagged roughly by a cruel hand on her wrist. She squeezed her eyes shut and was immediately bent over in a strong kick to her assailant's stomach. Ali whipped around to face the wheezing but still intimidating thug, taking his wrist in her hand so that his palm faced him. Using her thumbs on the front of his hands, she pressed against his wrist, causing him to drop to his knees and moan in pain. She kept blindly pressing, even when he was on the floor and begging her to let go. She booted him in the stomach and the head until she didn't hear his voice any longer. Then, she opened her eyes.  
  
The rest of the thugs had fled, realizing that they were not on their territory and the crew was better armed anyway. The only one left was the one bleeding and barely breathing at Ali's feet. Smoke from the various weapons drifted up around Serenity's ceiling.  
  
"You would not believe," she said shakily. She sagged against the wall behind her, "how tired I am of my body doing stuff I didn't know it could do." Jayne and Wash lifted the thug and dropped him on the ground outside while Simon saw to a gash on Mal's arm from a thug's almost lucky shot. Ali couldn't ignore the change in the crew's eyes as they watched her sit down on Serenity's vibrating floor, carefully avoiding putting her foot in a puddle of blood.  
  
  
  
A/N: Chew on THAT for a while. Not too long a while, of course. You would not believe how long I've been waiting to write that scene! Again sorry for the delay. Ugh, I finally have it done and ff.net's not even WORKING! Review please! 


	6. NOT A CHAPTER UNFORTUNATELY

I've come to a decision. After A LOT of thinking, I can't do this anymore, I feel too guilty. Because I've been there, waiting and WAITING for some lazy-ass writer to get off his/her rear end and update. I feel too bad for leading you all, my most cherished reviewers, on like this. Plus, I'm in a rut with this; I don't think I'm cut out to write actual fanfictions, with other people's characters. I really missed creating original characters. So, I'm officially putting this story on hiatus.  
  
I don't know when I'll pick it up again, but believe me I will . . . eventually. In the meantime try to be patient with me, again I'm really sorry I've waited this long. 


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